So what steps can districts take to stop the shortages in their own communities? “Grow-your-own” programs look like a promising development because they’re designed with these nuances in mind. These initiatives, which strive to solve teacher shortages by developing local students into prospective teaching candidates, have already demonstrated successes in case studies across the nation.
In Kentucky, organizations like GoTeachKY and Educators Rising have been helping rural school districts identify their future workforce as early as high school, allowing students to explore teaching and earn college credit before they even graduate. In Montana, state investment in “grow-your-own” programs have proven beneficial for tribal schools where teacher attrition has been stubbornly high.
That’s not to say that homegrown future educators are the silver bullet for solving recruitment woes, as the Hechinger Report points out. Many rural communities are education deserts, and those who leave to pursue a college degree may not be easily pers귭 to impede their future earnings by moving back to teach. However, as more and more states are adopting their own \”grow-your-own\” legislation, rural school leaders are hoping that the proof will be in the pudding. Will it be enough?
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